Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Deputy Leader of the Nationals Country Liberals Senator for the Northern Territory

Media Release

Labor backflip won't stop petrol sniffing

The Gillard Labor Government has back flipped and now claims to support a Greens ill-conceived petrol sniffing bill that won't work, Shadow Indigenous Affairs Minister Senator Nigel Scullion said.

"I do not question the motivation of the Greens but the Low Aromatic Fuel Bill is not workable.

"Every stakeholder acknowledges this issue would be better handled at a state and territory level," Senator Scullion said.

"The Coalition and Labor agreed months ago that State and Territory legislation was a better alternative. Labor back flipped just hours before debate started today and announced they were supporting the Greens bill.

"Labor's backflip goes against a Senate Committee Report released in September that found the Greens bill to be unworkable. That from a committee with a majority of Labor Senators- so what has changed?

"Indigenous health Minister and Member for Lingiari Warren Snowdon has been saying publicly for months that Labor won't be supporting the Greens Bill. But Julia Gillard back flipped for some reason in another last minute grubby deal with the Greens.

"Labor has rushed to put together some half-baked clumsy amendments. These amendments are just a fig leaf to cover up Labor's change of heart.

"I have been in discussions with the NT Chief Minister and NT Health Minister about minor changes to the NT Volatile Substance Abuse Prevention Act, which would then be used as an effective framework for other states like WA, Qld and SA to adopt.

"I am now calling on the States to introduce legislation based on the NT framework to avoid the Gillard Government imposing unworkable arrangements on them.

"I have had preliminary discussions at both a Ministerial and officer level with WA, Qld and SA, to support a 'coalition of the willing' on adopting this legislative framework.

"Labor had agreed this was the best way forward, as recommended by the senate committee, but abandoned it after another backflip. This is right up there with their backflips on the super trawler, asylum seekers and the carbon tax.

"Our First Australians deserve first class legislation to deal with this issue not an unworkable second class grubby deal with the Greens," Senator Scullion said.